


Operation: Punish the Guilty

by NWCountrygirl17



Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alliances, Closure, Tag Team, day of reckoning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2019-06-28 05:26:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15700710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NWCountrygirl17/pseuds/NWCountrygirl17
Summary: In a personal mission to repair the damage of the past Bucky meets another former weapon of death and destruction in Laura Kinney. Two embark on finding justice and healing the best way either knows how.





	1. suprising allies

**Author's Note:**

> This is a mix of cannons some movie some comics and some au I see too much parallel in to not talk about. I just love my damaged little murder babies so much  
> Hope you enjoy please read and review.

The base was almost silent, at nearly two in the morning apparently even evil shadowed organizations had to sleep sometimes.

Bucky had been watching this HYDRA outpost in the north of Italy for three days shifting around the perimeter staying out of sight just waiting for the right time to strike. His memories were more or less returned and he'd worked to separate the actions of the Winter Soldier from the ones of that of a young man being raised in Brooklyn. HYDRA had claimed so much from him they had no right to touch those.

For the last several months he'd been tracking and hunting down HYDRA outposts and bases. He knew Steve would be looking for him and as much as he wanted to see him there were decades of damage to make up for before going to Captain America was even close to an option.

His contemplation was broken by a fallen tree branch about 30 yards into the shadows. He didn't take his rifle off his back for not wanting to cause a stir firing off rounds but did whip out his knife, more than enough to take down an animal, he followed the source of the noise to the tree and footprints. They weren't the animal tracks he'd been expecting either and though combat boots were too small for a HYDRA soldier.

"Hello?" the Bucky side of him won out over the Winter Soldier that said nothing good would be out here let alone answer him. "Is anyone there?"

"RAHHH," that was all he heard before seeing a glint of moonlight on what looked like a long metal claw. He was shoved to the ground on his back as he tried to push off what hit him. He felt small hands this neck and flipped his assailant into the nearby bushes.

"Stop please," Yes that's right you idiot keep talking and walk nearer to the person trying to kill you. "I don't want to hurt you."

"I've heard that lie before," Bucky had a split second to register that the voice was female and by the sound of it American and very young. He was bull rushed knocking him back off his feet this time he thought better of fighting back words would do more than fists right now. He saw a boot get placed on his chest with the claw he caught a flash of earlier. Raising his eyes saw a young girl 13 or 14 years old scowling down at him "Who are you?"

"Who am I? Who the Hell are you?" Bucky raised his hands defensively open and non-threatening. "I'm not HYRDA, I'm doing everything I can to take them down."

"So am I," the girl stepped away enough for him to get to his feet. They surveyed each other wearily she was only 5'2 at most firm build was clear even through protective clothes. "Did they do that to your arm?"

"Yes and more." Bucky nodded, "Listen you need to get out of here this place is gonna be rubble by sunrise."

"Its gonna take you that long?" the girl asked turning and walking in the direction of the outpost. "Then you should get to safety anyone that survives will be getting reinforcements. They're already not happy with me, this is the third one this month I've dismantled soon they'll have no choice but to authorize lethal force."

"Third this month?" Bucky hurried to keep up. "I've only tracked down four in the last six," he stepped in her path. "How do you know HYDRA protocol? You're just a kid."

"I'm a lot more than that," she jumped clear over him and started moving one upper tree branch to another. "If you managed to escape take my advice and get as far away as you can."

"Sweetheart, I'll give you a choice," sweetheart? The kid from Brooklyn really was in control tonight. "Either you come and talk to me or I rapid fire so many rounds every HYDRA agent from here to Venice knows where we are. The element of surprise lost for both of us."

"You wouldn't dare," she jumped down to meet him.

"Try me," Bucky turned in the opposite direction. "I made camp about a quarter mile this way, come on."

Okay,  _camp_ was a small fire and a hidden stash of food but it was what he had right now. "What's your name?"

"Laura," she answered looking over her shoulder like an animal not trusting a sense of security. "And we're wasting time."

"Oh yeah, what's your plan for getting in and out?" Bucky took a bite of a plum he'd been saving since he'd got into the region. "Whatever they did to you is no reason to barge in there and end up dead."

"Trust me I won't be the dead one by morning," after studying him for a moment she said a little more conceding. "I suppose it could help us both to work together."

"Hell no," he'd meant to be more gracious but it slipped out before he could stop himself. "There is no way I'm putting an innocent kid into the line of fire."

"I haven't been innocent since the day I was created." she balked with all the ease of a teenager rejecting an early curfew. "Don't see why I'd start now."

"I promise I'll do what I have to do none of those HYDRA bastards will walk out." He carefully but firmly put his vibranium hand on Laura's shoulder. "I don't know if I can protect you inside."

"Who said I need protecting?" Laura grimaced raising her fist as two long metal claws slid out of her knuckles. "I have these for fighting one on each foot and I heal fast. Makes me hard to kill. Wait, I read a file a couple months ago, you're him, the Winter Soldier."

"Barnes, my name is James Buchanan Barnes," he quickly corrected her he'd been a drone for 70 years his name was as important to take back as anything. "You can call me Bucky."

"Hello Bucky," she took the hand he offered, retracting her claws, and shook it. "Now we've talked can we go kill those HYDRA bastards?"

"If you'll promise to follow my lead, on the entry at least." he knew a simple irritated nod was the best he was going to get and that much he accepted. "I got an idea on how to get in."

Twenty minutes later Laura was positioned in the nearest lining of trees Bucky started his stumbling act he knew there were at most 15 agents at this outpost and soon drew the attention of the two perimeter guards and dispatched them both before they could raise further alarm. "And you had to do that solo because?" Laura asked as scaled tree wall and down breaking the surveillance cameras as he entered in the passcodes.

"I'm known off the leash, target is clear on my back," he said as the door opened for them. "I'm keeping it that way. And I know the layout of this place better than you do."

"Great," she looked around gaining her bearings. "Labs, holding cells, files where would they be?"

"Down that corridor third door on the right, will take you to the lab downstairs." he didn't want to send her off alone but they had no time to argue they both had missions of their own that demanded completion. "The gun-locker is this way."

"I won't be long," she cut him off before he could offer a delay. "I'll meet you either there or outside." she popped her claws before moving away turned back to him. "Do me a favor Barnes, don't die."

"I won't," he smiled, he actually smiled something almost nonexistent since 1945. "You do the same, Laura."

He quickly and efficiently made it to the survailence room killed the station guard and accounted for the remaining 12 agents. 9 Laura was quick to remove all personnel obstacles on the research level and 3 patrolling the side halls. Satisfied she was effective in her work embarked on his own knocked out the one agent on duty in the gun-locker gathered as much ammunition and knives as he could carry he didn't make it halfway to the stairs when Laura appeared from below. "There are four agents off duty asleep."

"Dead," Laura said simply. "And the commander?"

"In his room, this hall is on a loop," he led the familiar way. North Italy had been more convenient holding ground for him at the time than Siberia. "Shall we?"

"Not a clean job if we don't," Laura didn't wait for him she just sniffed the air paused for a moment took off in the direction of the commanders quarters. "I have some history with this one, hold him down before we kill him?"

They didn't speak again until they were outside the right door Bucky asked if she was ready Laura nodded and slipped in. Bucky pulled him to his feet secured his arms behind his back. "All your men are dead," he hissed in his ear. "So don't bother calling for help."

"They said the winter soldier went rogue." he quickly saw the arm of his captor. "Why not just kill me?" 

"Young lady asked me not to, said she wanted a word," Bucky positioned him in front of Laura. "Hail HYDRA."

"Commander Vincent Vosen, do you remember me?"

Vosen shook his head no.

"No, nothing?" Laura asked in a mock thoughtful voice allowing her claw to slowly slide out in front of Vosen's face. "Do you remember me now?"

"Madrid two years ago," he said color draining. "I was your handler."

"That's right," she took a step back. "My contract was on the ambassador you wouldn't let me leave until his family was dead."

"I had my orders from Rice."

"Zander Rice, you can tell him you did your job," Laura seized his neck with one hand put her other fist to his heart. There was an audible SNIKT as Vosen took one blood strangled breath. "Let him know that when you see him in Hell."

 


	2. Old Scars Cut Deep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura and Bucky take the time to re-group and bond over their bloody histories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning in this chapter Laura goes through a ritual of cutting herself for every kill she makes, so if self-harm description is a trigger this would be a skip chapter. it's a rough but necessary part of Laura's Origin Story.

The Facility and the bodies were burnt as well as it could've been and with any type of luck the mountain would take back its land soon and the snow would cover up the damage done.

 “Where are you gonna go?” Bucky asked over the light of the fire melting snow for clean water. “God knows where the nearest HYDRA outpost is from here.”

“I’m not specifically after them,” Laura spoke trying to clean the blood from her claws off her boots. “They didn’t create me, but, they were one of the top clients of the people who did.”

“You keep saying created, but how old were you? What happened to your family?”

“I never had one,” Why was she telling him any of this? Laura didn’t even know herself, maybe it was that he was the first to ever ask the question. “I was born in a lab, trained experimented on and molded for one reason, killing who they wanted me to kill.”

“It’s worse than dying,” He watched the movement of the flames, they didn’t have to look at each other to what he was saying applied to both of them. “You’re following orders because that’s all you know but in the back of your head you all you want is to end the violence and the killing.”

“According to the files you were caught and they made you the soldier.” She studied him more intently than before. “Do you remember life before?”

“I was born almost a hundred years ago.” He took a long dragging breath that was more grief and memory than cold. “Family just trying to get by in Brooklyn New York, I might still have a sister alive I don’t know. Life was hard but it was good and it was mine. I knew where I belonged and had people I could depend on. I got drafted into the army for the war, fell a couple hundred feet from a German train, lost an arm and 70 years of free will.”

“But you had a life. A little bit is better than none at all.”

 “I guess, maybe one day I’ll see my old home again but I have a lot to make up for before that can happen.” Bucky tossed her a rolled up tattered blanket. “Try to get some sleep, we can figure out any next move in the morning.”

“Good night Bucky.”

“Good night.”

Laura couldn’t sleep, she never could after a mission, instead she listened to the slowing breathing of her strange new companion and watched the small fire reduce to dark embers. She knew well enough what the Winter Soldiers reputation was but she couldn’t help seeing something she recognized. The man she had met was a lost damaged soul, a tool used for evil just like she was. Before her mother, Sarah Kinney, died she told her it wasn’t her fault, and the same was true for Bucky Barnes neither of them were responsible for the horrible things they had done but the burden of making them right was still theirs to carry. The men they killed tonight were evil, she didn’t feel guilty that they were dead but Laura still knew their deaths counted, life lost always counts no matter whose life it is.

She knew what she had to do, she rolled up her sleeve retracted a single adamantium claw and made the first slice into her skin. A sharp exhale escaped her lips as blood slid down her arm onto the moonlit snow, she continued slowly to make a second and third cut. Only Sarah had ever seen her do this. If the facility had known they probably would’ve labeled her defective, but this was her private ritual after every mission. Blood for blood, one mark for every life she took to remind herself that it still mattered.

“Laura?” Bucky jolted awake at the small whimper she didn’t even realize she was making. “Laura what the hell are you doing.”

“A mark for every kill,” She said eyes not leaving the arm that he took in his metal hand gingerly. “My blood for theirs.”

“You do this whenever you have to kill someone, good or bad?” He sounded like he understood, in disgust, but it made sense to him. “This is ever since your first?”

Laura couldn’t find words so she simply nodded yes.

“Then that means they failed,” He wiped away the excess blood from the still open wounds. “The worst thing a weapon can do is feel remorse, long as death still matters you’re better than what they made you.”

“Barnes,” Laura looked up at him. “I need to finish the first three are almost healed, I need to do the rest.”

“Ok,” He let go of her arm. “14 people, I killed 5 you’ve done 3 so you have to do 6 more? You know you don’t have to do this, right?”

“Yes I do,” her tone was quiet but decisive. “And I think the reason you want to stop me is you understand why.”

“You’re smart kid,” Bucky sat down next to Laura human arm wrapped around her shoulder. “Remember that. it can make you as dangerous as those claws do.”

“What are you doing?”

“Just because you have to do this doesn’t mean you have to do it alone.” He looked down on her, voice more gentle than it was before. “I'm right here."

“Thank you,” Laura’s eyes returned to her arm claw making slicing tally marks in her skin. Her breath hitched again with every stroke blood trickling down to her wrist droplets then hitting the snow. “It’s done,” she said softly retracting her claw back to her knuckles. “At least for now.”

“I’ve spent the last few months trying to convince myself of something my best friend would say,” Long before Steve had been given the title of Captain America he'd been by Bucky's side as the small sick voice in his head giving him advice. “Nothing that they made you do is your fault. You're not responsible for their crimes.”

“Maybe I am not maybe I am I don’t know.” Laura pulled her sleeve back down as the marks started to heal themselves. “Either way I’m the one that has to make things right.”

“Just remember what I said you’re not gonna be doing it alone,” Neither of them had come to the Dolomite Alps looking for a partner but somehow they had naturally formed a sort of stride with each other in what had to be done. “We head east tomorrow, pull our resources maybe eventually we can both get some closure, even peace.”

“Something tells me _peace_ wasn’t put in my genetic code,” Laura said bitterly. She knew who and what The Wolverine was from the constant rantings of Zander Rice he was a rage-filled animal and no matter how much she wanted to deny it she could feel the same kind of untamable blood lust inside her. “Right now I would settle for a friend.”

“Now you’ve got one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that was a tough one to get out hopefully they'll be coming a little faster now. I was debating for quite a while to whether have Bucky trying to stop her from cutting herself (or to include it at all) but this Laura is so green out of escaping the facility, for the most part, she doesn't even see herself as a person. It made me realize Bucky seeing this young small thing would remind him of the first person it was ever his job to protect No way he'd abandon that.


End file.
